Vending-machine.



J. B. ADAMS.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10 1913. 1,092,125, Patented Mar.31,1914.

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VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, 1913.

1,092, 125. Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

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n s: a stem JAMES B. ADAMS,

OF LAUREL IRON W ORKS, WEST VIRGINIA.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

Application filed June 10, 1913. Serial No. 772,885.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMEs B. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing 'at Laurel Iron Works, in the county of Monongalia and State of West Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in vending machines and has particular application to stamp vending machines.

In carrying out the present invention, it is my purpose to provide a machine of the class described by means of which stamps of a predetermined value may be dispensed singly upon the insertion of the proper coin into the machine.

It is also my purpose to provide a stamp vending machine which will embrace the desired features of simplicity, efficiency, durability and strength coupled with cheapness of cost in manufacture and marketing and which may be readily installed.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth in and falling within the scope of the claim.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a vending machine constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the casing, the mechanism of the machine being shown in top plan. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, parts being shown in elevation, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the supporting frame for the mechanism of the machine.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the numeral 1 designates a box or casing provided with a removable cover 2 and having a vertical slot 3 formed in one side wall thereof and a discharge aperture 4 in one end wall thereof, such aperture opening into a trough 5. This box or casing may be constructed of any suitable material and the cover is preferably hingedly connected to one of the end walls thereof and held against opening through the medium of a suitablelock.

Arranged within the box or casing 1 and suitably fastened to the bottom wall thereof is a supporting frame comprising, in the present instance, a pair of standards or posts 6 spaced apart in parallelism and each hav- 1ng formed integral therewith a rearwardly extending side bar 7 parallel with the similar bar carried by the other post and connected thereto through the medium of a cross bar 8. Spanning the space between the posts or standards 6, 6 in horizontal alinement with the longitudinal side bar 7 is a substantially U shaped yoke 9 contacting with the end wall of the box or casing having the discharge aperture 4 therein and formed with a slot 10 registering with such aperture. In this form of my invention, the upper extremities of the posts 6, 6 are bent or curved forwardly as at 11 and between such curved ends is pivoted as at 12 one extremity of a yoke 13 having depending from the opposite limbs thereof lugs 14 having their lower ends cut out as at 15 and adapted, when the yoke has been swung to a horizontal plane, as shown in Fig. 5, to cooperate with alining apertures 16 formed in the side bars 7, at the juncture of the latter with the posts 6, to form alining bearings. The central portion of the yoke 13 is extended rearwardly and slotted as at 17 while j ournaled in the bars 7, 7, immediately below the slotted portion of the yoke is a rod 18 having formed integral therewith and extending upwardly from the central portion thereof an arm 19 having the free end thereof screw threaded to receive a thumb nut 20 and designed to enter the slotted portion of the yoke so as to hold the latter in horizontal position.

Journaled in the alining bearings just described is a horizontal shaft 21 carrying, between the posts 6, 6, a feed roller 24 having the periphery thereof contacting with the similar portion of the roller 22. In the rear of the feed rollers 22 and 24, the side bars 7 have formed integral therewith upstanding bearing posts 25 having the upper extremities thereof slotted as at 26 to receive a shaft 27 carrying a reel 28. In the present instance, this reel is formed of disks 29, 29 suitably spaced apart and interconnected through the medium of a hub 30 formed with a longitudinal slot 31 into which one end of a strip of stamps may be fastened and the strip subsequently wrapped or wound about the reel or spool. Interposed between the reel 27 and the feed rollers 22 and 24 is an idler roller carried by a shaft 33 journaled in the side bars 7, the stamps being led from the reel 28 over the idler roller 32 and between the feed rollers 22 and 24 and are thence delivered to a purchaser by way of the alining slots 10 and 4 in the yoke 9 and the end wall of the casing 1 respectively.

Keyed upon one end of each shaft 21, 23 is a gear wheel 34 meshing with the gear wheel on the other shaft so that both feed rollers will rotate in unison, while arranged at right angles to the lower shaft 23 and disposed in the same plane as that of such shaft is a horizontal shaft 35 journaled in suitable bearings and loosely mounted upon one end thereof is a bevel gear 36 meshing with a bevel pinion 37 rigidly connected to the gear 34 on the shaft 23. Fixed to the outer face of the bevel gear 36 is a ratchet wheel 38 and loosely mounted upon the shaft 35 adjacent to the inner face of such bevel gear 36 is one extremity of an operating lever 39 projecting outwardly of the casing in the form of a knob 40 and designed to work within the vertical slot 3 in the side wall of the casing. Secured to this lever 39 is a spring pressed pawl 41 designed to ride over the toothed periphery of the ratchet wheel 38 when the lever 39 moves in an upward direction and, when the lever is actuated downwardly, to engage the adjacent teeth on the ratchet wheel and so rotate the latter and the bevel gear 36, with the effect to impart movement to the feed rollers 22 and 24, as is readily apparent.

The numeral 42 designates a vertically disposed coin chute fastened to one of the side bars 7 of the frame and extending upwardly therefrom and adapted to receive a coin by way of an entrance slot formed in the top wall of the ca singil.

Fulcrumed upon one end of the shaft 23 and supporting the idler roller 32 is a locki-ng lever43 having one end thereof disposed within the coin chute 42 in the path of the I coins and the opposite extremity in the form of a toothed segment 44 designed to normally engage the teeth of a ratchet wheel 45 interposed between the bevel pinion 37 and gear 34 on the shaft 23, such ratchet wheel 45 being fixed to the pinion and gear 37 and 34 respectively.

Loosely mounted upon the shaft 35 adjacent to the free end thereof is an arm 46 carrying at its free end a blade 47 movable across the path of movement of the stamps and disposed immediately in advance of a guide 48 secured between the side bars of the frame and alining with the opening 10 in the yoke 9. In the present instance, the pivoted extremities of the arm 46 and the lever 39 are fixed to each other for simultaneous movement through the medium of collars 49, 49 secured to the confronting sides of the arm and lever and have their confronting ends formed to provide teeth adapted to interlock as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Formed integral with the fulcrumed end of the operating lever 39 and extending upwardly therefrom is a finger 50 having the free end thereof disposed in the path of movement of the segment end of the locking lever and adapted to limit the swinging movement of such operating lever under the weight of a coin. p 7

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode of operation and manner of employing my invention will be readily apparent.

Assuming the parts to be in the position as; illustrated in Figs. '2 and 4 and it is desired to obtain a stamp from the machine, the proper coin is dropped into the coin chute 42 and upon approaching the lower end of such chute contacts with the end of the lever 43 within the chute thereby swinging such lever about its pivot point with the effect to disengage the toothed segment thereon from the ratchet wheel 45, the finger 50 holding the lever against further swinging movement so that the coin is retained within the coin chute and the machine in condition for action. The locking lever having been swung to an inactive position, so far as the ratchet wheel 45 is concerned, the purchaser presses upon the knob 40 and so swings the lever 39 about its fulcrum point and as the lever swings downwardly the spring pressed dog 41 engages the adjacent teeth on the ratchet wheel 38 and rotates the latter about the shaft 35. In the rotation of the ratchet wheel 38 movement is imparted to the bevel gear 36 and from the latter, the feed rollers are operated, through the medium of the pinion 37 and the gears 34, 34, thereby unwinding the stamps from the reel 28. The parts are so timed that when the lever 39 has reached the limit of its downward movement, the stamp carrying reel 28 is rotated through an angle just sufficient to pass one; stamp through the aperture 4. As the open ating lever 39 moves downwardly, the arm 46 carrying the blade 47 is swung upwardly and so severs the projected stamp from the strip with the effect that such severed stamp. drops into the trough 5.

It will be seen that I have provided a stamp vending machine wherein the operating mechanism for the feed rollers is normally held inactive by the locking device, while the latter may be swung to inactive position initially under the weight of a coin and subsequently complete its movement to release the coin, when the machine is operated.

While I have herein shown and described one preferred form of my invention by way of illustration, I desire to have it understood that I do not limit or confine myself to the precise details of construction herein described and delineated, as modification and variation may be made within the scope of the claim without departing from the spiritof the invention.

I claim:

In a stamp vending machine, a stamp carrying reel, feed rollers disposed in advance of said reel and adapted to take the stamps therefrom, a gear fixed to the axle of each roller and meshing with the gear on the other roller whereby both rollers will operate in unison, a bevel pinion fixed to the axle of one of said rollers, a bevel gear meshing with said pinion and rotatable about an axis at right angles to the axle of the feed roller, a ratchet wheel fixed to said bevel gear, and a lever pivoted adjacent to said bevel gear and carrying a dog adapted to operate said ratchet wheel whereby said feed rollers will be operated to take the stamps from said reel.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. ADAMS. Witnesses:

WASH WOLFE, JAMES L. WOLFE.

each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

